C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

Car won't Idle

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Old Jun 27, 2003 | 08:20 PM
  #1  
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Default Car won't Idle

My '87 was running great until a few days ago. My dad was getting ready to drive it to me and was on his way to get the remote start fixed when he noticed the temperature increasing to around 215 degrees highway cruising, which is considerably higher than normal.

At this point, the car started having trouble getting uphill, so my dad pulled over to let it cool down. When he went to start it again, it wouldn't idle, and will only run at about 3/4 throttle, where it runs at a nasty-sounding 1300 rpms.

So he had the car Triple-A'd home, and then he called me to find out what was up.

At first I thought it blew a head gasket, but there is no oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil. Its throwing a code 34, MAF voltage low. I had my dad check all of the wires and the inside of the MAF looks ok. My air-fuel guage isn't reading anything at all, so this leads me to think of a possible catalitic converter clog, but the converter has only been under there for 190 hours ~ 8,000 miles.

My dad cleared the codes and started it the next day, and it runs perfect until it warms up to coolant temp 140*.

I'm out of ideas at this point, and the car is 940 miles away. Any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated to help troubleshoot this farther.

Thanks much.
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Old Jun 27, 2003 | 10:00 PM
  #2  
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Default Re: Car won't Idle (NoWorries)

First thing that popped into my head was the cat. Perhaps there are two problems here, one being a clogged cat, the other being something that is causing the cat to fail :confused:
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Old Jun 27, 2003 | 10:17 PM
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Default Re: Car won't Idle (vetteweiser)

If its throwing a Code 34, then it put itself in limp home mode when he was driving it, and that caused his problems.

Your MAF is probably dead, doesnt matter if the wires look good or not.
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Old Jun 28, 2003 | 12:32 AM
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Default Re: Car won't Idle (vader86)

Your MAF is probably dead
:eek: ouch!!$$$$
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